2 American Semifinalists In Parma
Sebastian Korda at 20 years, is the fifth ranked American in the top hundred. He turned pro in 2018. [63] Korda has been piling up the victories this season. This is potentially his break-out season. Earlier this year, he got to the Del Ray Beach Open final, his first ATP Tour final.
Tommy Paul at 24 years, is the fourth ranked American in the top hundred. He turn pro in 2015. [55] Paul’s results have been inconsistent; thus, it is nice to see him stringing together consecutive victories this week. He is the only player in the semifinals never to have gotten to an ATP singles final. No doubt he would love to change that statistic tomorrow.
While it is great to see two American male players in the semifinals of a clay court tournament, it’s a pity that they will play each other before the final. On the other hand, we are guaranteed one American in the Parma final on Sunday.
The Other Semifinalists In Parma
[80] Jaume Munar is a twenty-four-year-old Spaniard. Like the previous two American semifinalists, he has yet to win a title on the ATP Tour. Unlike the above-mentioned Americans, this young man knows how to play consistently quality tennis on clay. At one point, many looked at him as a potential star for Spain, but his game has never quite matured to that level. Still, he will be a tough competitor against his Italian opponent.
Three years ago, twenty-five-year-old Marco Cecchinato stunned the tennis world at Roland Garros. He upset Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to Dominic Thiem. Since then, Cecchinato has been struggling. Once ranked as high as number 16, he is now ranked 104. The Italian would love to get to the final and gain some much-needed confidence and ranking points going into the French Open. Like his Spanish opponent, his best surface is clay. He has the advantage of experience and hopes to stop Munar from getting to his second ATP singles final.
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